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War of the Seven
The War of the Seven was a massive military conflict that broke out in the Second Era for control of the Kingdom of Cyrodiil. Following High King Titus' defeat in battle against a coalition of rebels who fought for their own independence, many of his vassals recognized that their liege was in an incredibly weakened state. Thus, six former vassals of the king declared themselves kings and queens of the realm (some claiming birthright, but most by military strength) and fought for control of the Cyrodiil. Causes Too Much Vassal Power Every since the Kingdom of Cyrodiil was created, its respective king's vassals have always plotted for power against their liege. King Caius I was incredibly generous, and thus made the mistake of giving his vassals too much power. They were not able to overthrow the king, however, as the army of Cyrodiil was too massive of a nut to crack. The Cyrodiilic Rebellion Their time finally came, however, when King Titus I faced a Pyrrhic victory in the north against the king of The Rift. Nearly half of his armies had been killed either through attrition or battle. To make matters worse for the High King, a number of vassals had declared independence and openly warred against him. His wounded, war-weary army encountered the rebels at Cheydinhal, but suffered a terrible loss. The King had nearly no army left, leaving him completely exposed to potential threats. Many vassals declared themselves as claimants to the throne shortly afterwards, leaving Cyrodiil in a seven-way war for control Opening Days Countess Caldarna Tharn of Bruma successfully predicted the future. As she was close to the fighting in Skyrim, she was the first of the claimants to receive word of the king's sturggle in the north. Though she had nearly a fifth of Titus' levy, she still believed she could win if she gathered enough support from the other rulers. Her claim was hardly legitimate, as (now Queen) Caldarna had no relation to the Vallerions or the emperors of old. Still, she raised a significant amount of support, and began to march on the Imperial City. Her progress was halted, however, when she was no longer the only claimant. The Count of Chorrol, Greg Aquilaros, also claimed the throne by rights of military conquest. Like Queen Caldarna, he had no legitimate reason to take the throne, but raised his banners in rebellion anyway. News of the power struggle reached the other areas of Cyrodiil fairly quickly, leading to four other Counts to raise their banners and fight for the kingdom. Each one, now a king or queen, took a title to distinguish themselves from the others, typically indicating a direction of Cyrodiil from which they originally ruled. By the time King Titus could raise his scattered banner, six people were competing for the throne. Total War The first major battle occurred in County Chorrol, where the armies of Queen Calderna and King Greg clashed. Greg, now known by his subjects as the King of the West, was preparing to march on the Imperial City to face King Titus' legion. Little did he know that the Queen Calderna was preparing to do the same. The two armies clashed in a massive battle, which significantly wounded the both of them. There was no clear winner, and both parties retreated back to their respective counties. The king himself had the largest army, but they were scattered all over Cyrodiil with many surrounded by enemy nations. He could only assemble a small portion of his banners, though he was still able to compete with the pretenders. To make matters easier for him, he sought alliances with other nations, and in some instances the other claimants themselves. He offered to marry Queen Coventina in exchange for an alliance, which she promptly declined. She had gathered an incredible host due to her influence and beauty, leaving her in a position to realistically take the throne and become High Queen. He finally found an alliance in Skyrim with the king of Eastmarch when he agreed to marry his oldest daughter to the other king's oldest son if the war concluded in Titus' favor. In the west, Queen Coventina's host grew larger by the day. She feuded with King Sirolio, the King of the South and former Count of Skingrad, for control. The two had a series of skirmishes, which were mostly won by the Queen. In the east, King Derek, who was perhaps the least powerful of the claimants to begin with, was incredibly successful. Claiming to be of the Alessian bloodline, he had (fabricated) evidence to prove his legitimacy as not only the High King of Cyrodiil but Emperor of Tamriel as well. Many believed him, and thus he gathered a tremendous host. For the most part, the earliest years of the war were a total stalemate. King Titus retained control of the Imperial City, the ultimate goal of the war for all seven combatants, and was thus considered to be winning. The arrival of Eastmarch into the war made a big difference as well, as they were able to deal significant damage to the Queen in the North's armies. Queen Coventina made considerable strides in Colovia and King Derek did the same in Nibenay. Still, the kingdom was more or less up for grabs with no clear victor in sight. Treachery Generally speaking, the war was a stalemate after two years. Titus still held the ruby throne, but he had done little to stop his numerous enemies. His enemies had made progress against each other, but the Imperial City was completely untouched and the Heartlands were mostly in tact. Many of the faction leaders grew frustrated and resorted to less than honorable means to get an edge. At the wedding of Mariana Vallerion and the Prince of Eastmarch, the Dark Brotherhood attacked with the aim of killing Titus and his direct family. The attempt failed to kill the king; Mariana, however, was not so lucky. Titus became enraged by the murder of his daughter, and vowed to completely annihilate all of the claimants, regardless of who hired the assassins. After a large investigation, Titus' spymaster could not determine who the culprit was. The king, who had spent the entire war commanding from the White-Gold Tower, finally left the Imperial City to lead from the frontlines. He wished to avenge his daughter more than he wanted to keep the throne, and vowed to see the other six claimants' heads on pikes before his death. His newfound vigor and determination made a great impact on the war. The morale of his armies was boosted as well, and he won a great many victories in the west. The largest threat, Queen Coventina, was the first to fall under King Titus' newfound might. The two armies were more or less equal in size, but Titus' side had better weapons, armor and a reason to fight, while Coventina's were mostly sellswords. At the Battle of Skingrad, the two armies clashed, and Titus won a significant victory. Queen Coventina was slain in the siege that followed, and was the first head to adorn the walls of the Imperial City on a spike. In the east, the King Derek prospered. He and King Sten competed in many minor skirmishes, the most of which he won. By the end of the third year, Sten's armies were almost completely destroyed; most were killed in battle, but many defected to Derek's side. King Sten eventually surrendered, and was allowed to join Derek as a strategic advisor in exchange for his life. Queen Caldarna and King Greg had focused their fighting on one another due to their neighboring territories. They had whittled each other down to fragments of their initial strengths, and they were both eliminated in the Battle of Chorrol, a three-way conflict between each other and King Titus, who interrupted their final skirmish to defeat both of them. Both were executed, and joined Coventina on the city walls. Shortly after, an envoy from King Sirolio met with King Titus' armies, offering surrender in exchange for his levies. Titus accepted the surrender and absorbed Sirolio's armies into his own. The Eagle and The Diamond By the war's sixth year, only two factions remained: King Titus and King Derek. Titus was still fueled by the loss of his daughter, Mariana, and had assembled an army worthy of his position. King Derek, on the other hand, had levies coming from all across Tamriel, as countless followers truly believed he was of the Alessian bloodline.Titus had reconquered all of Colovia and had the Heartlands under his control, while Nibenay and the north was owned by Derek. Derek had nearly twice the strength of Titus, and could easily beat him if they met on the field of battle. Titus refused to do so, though he would have preferred it to the more strategic plan. His entire garrison - about 120,000 Men - piled into the Imperial City and awaited Derek's arrival. A massive clash of kings awaited that would determine the fate of Cyrodiil. The next year was spent by both sides preparing for the coming battle. Titus shut down the Imperial City to outsiders and began spending every coin he had fortifying its defenses and buying sellswords. Derek ensured that his men had the best weapons and armor money could buy, and conscripted a fleet of ships so that his armies could invade not only by land but by sea as well. By all accounts, Derek had a clear advantage, although the Imperial City would be nearly impossible to siege. To ensure his family's survival, Titus had his only surviving child, Millona, sent away to Alinor with a personal guard to defend her. The king had contacts in the isle of the Altmer, and she would be safe there in case Titus did not survive. He spent the last days of the war without any family, as he and his daughter were the last of the Vallerion dynasty. Derek's massive host marched from Cheydinhal to the Imperial Isle, while he and his fleet sailed north from Leyawiin. The army and navy would attack the Imperial City at roughly the same time, flooding it with a horde of soldiers. Within a week, they arrived. The Battle of the Imperial City In the middle of the night, the bells of the Imperial City rang for all to hear. Derek's fleet had been seen sailing in the distance towards the Waterfront, and scouts had reported that his armies had nearly arrived. King Titus prepared for what he could only assume would be his last stand, and made sure his garrison was prepared for battle. Derek sailed aboard his flagship that led the fleet to the waterfront, where he would offload his host of men into the city to join the main army that would siege the main gate. He was confident that his victory was inevitable. Titus' fleet, small and weak compared to Derek's massive force, prepared to hold the Waterfront for as long as possible, buying the garrison in the front of the city as much time as possible. Though Titus lacked Derek's numbers, many of his own ships were powerful war galleys, while Derek mainly had conscripted merchant ships and transport cruisers. Meanwhile, at the main gate, a force of over 100,000 men marched with catapults and a battering ram. The catapults surrounded the city at different parts of the Isle and wasted not time putting holes in the city walls. Titus gave the order for the archers to give the rest of the enemy a volley, which was incredibly successful. Though Derek outnumbered Titus at least two-to-one, Titus had the advantage of high walls surrounding the entire city. No matter where Derek's men were, they were exposed to archers. The two fleets clashed on the Waterfront, both fighting for their lives. Titus' fleet knew they were merely a distraction force, but fought bravely anyone as they knew they were playing a critical role in their king's success. The enemy fleet, however, was incredibly bold as they were essentially guaranteed victory. Within two hours, all of Titus' ships had been sunk or surrendered, and Derek began to offload his transports onto the Waterfront district. A force almost as large as the main army at the front gate flooded into the city, though it had its own gate to bust. About the time that Derek won his victory at the Waterfront, his armies at the main gate breached the walls. Many had already died, not only due to the archers but as the result of a sally where many of Titus' best infantry met them on the field as well. The fighting had then shifted to the Talos Plaza district, where the majority of the king's garrison were placed. The two sides clashed and fought a massive skirmish, though Derek had the numeric advantage and thus gained much ground. After the district was lost, Titus ordered everyone to fall back to Green Emperor Way. The archers on the walls lightened the numbers of Derek's host greatly, but it simply wasn't enough. Many had died from catapult fire, and others from Derek's soldiers who used ladders to climb the walls. Meanwhile, morale was low among Titus' infantry, who saw an enemy that outnumbered them and believed they would win. At the Waterfront, Derek and his second army breached the gate into the Temple district, which was only lightly defended. Still, it gave them access to Green Emperor Way, where they were able to join the fighting from the rear flank. The skirmish at Green Emperor Way lasted the entire night. By the time dawn came, only one side was still fighting, with the other running away with their tails between their legs and their leader nowhere to be found. The victor was King Titus, whose army lasted the longest against impossible odds. King Derek had abandoned the fighting and could not be located to accept surrender. Most of his soldiers surrendered for him (those who didn't abandon the fighting, anyway). The battle was one of the bloodiest in Tamriel's history, but it was almost enough to end the war. The Usurper After sorting through the death and destruction, King Titus declared himself the victor of the war. All other factions had been defeated, and thus no one was left standing to fight for the throne. To celebrate his victories, Titus ordered for a grand feast and re-coronation to be held in his name so that he could accept fealty from any remaining loyal vassals and regain his title of High King. Nearly two weeks later, the ceremony was held. Nearly a hundred vasslas swore fealty (some old, some new, and some members of the enemy factions that had lost), and hundreds of other lords and ladies attended the event as well. It was a massive feast, but the wouldn't be remembered for the food. When the time came for Titus to give a speech, a plot began to unfold. The guards in the room locked all of the doors after a group of five hooded figures entered the room. Titus failed to notice that anything was amiss and began his address. In the middle of his speech, one of the figures rose from his chair and interrupted the king. The faceless man declared Titus a pretender with no real claim to the throne, and promised him that his head would join the other pretenders on the walls of the city. The Kingsguard rose and surrounded their liege, blades at the ready. The other four hooded men joined the leader, and slowly approached the Kingsguard. The masked man who did the talking removed his hood, revealing himself to be Derek Blackthorn. A second figure removed her hood as well, showing herself to be the king's daughter, Millona Vallerion. The Kingsguard and the Assassins engaged one another, but the assassins cut through the king's men like butter. Titus looked around the room to see the men and women he believed were loyal to him smiling. In reality, all of them were part of the same plot; they had already bent the knee to Derek. With no one to defend him and everyone in the room against him, Titus admitted defeat. He asked his daughter why she would betray him, to which she responded the promise of power. She was the only legitimate heir to the throne, but if she inherited it alone she would be overthrown. Instead, she made a deal with Derek to marry him in exchange for joint rulership. Millona drew a blade and thrust it into her father's heart, killing him instantly. Derek took his crown and placed it on his own head, declaring himself Cyrodiil's new high king. Combatants * King Titus Vallerion (The King of the Ruby Throne) '''- Cyrodiil's original ruler and third-generation member of House Vallerion, which was responsible for conquering all of Cyrodiil in the middle of the second era. Many of his vassals either declared themselves kings or queens, or joined up with other pretenders to add to their strength. * '''Queen Caldarna Tharn (The Queen of the North) - Originally Countess of Bruma, the 55 year old queen took advantage of the situation and was the first to rise up as a pretender following the Cyrodiilic Rebellion. * King Sten Caro (The King of the East) '- The young Count of Facian wasted no time in declaring himself king, although he lacked the same strength that the other pretenders had. Sten was formerly a loyalist on the Cyrodiilic Rebellion, fighting alongside King Titus. * '''King Sirolio Valentian (The King of the South) '- Previously Count of Skingrad, the King of the South had one of the largest armies in Cyrodiil even before the war broke out. * 'Queen Coventina Osician (The Queen of the South) '- Young and beautiful, the former Countess of Kvatch had a sizable army and one of the largest followings of vassals in the war. * 'King Greg Aquilaros (The King of the West) '- King Greg, the Count of Chorrol, was old and tired of waiting for power to come to him. Instead, he went straight to the power and was one of the first to march on King Titus' armies. * '''King Derek Blackthorn (The One True King) - Though he was one of the least powerful of Titus' vassals before the war, Derek quickly became the most powerful of the pretenders. Claiming to be of the Alessian bloodline, Derek gathered a massive host of followers and proved to be the deadliest of the combatants. His supposed legitimacy made him known by his followers as "The One True King." Notes * The War of the Seven is based on a war that actually took place in FromanSK's Elder Kings campaign. It is also heavily inspired by the War of the Five Kings in George R.R. Martin's brilliant A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Category:Conflicts